The Ties That Bind
by KuraKathryn
Summary: Finally updated after what...almost 2 years? Better late than never right? Enjoy.
1. The Viral Threat

Hello there everyone! This is one of my first ReBoot fanfics. It's an ongoing series and I really hope you like it!  
  
Disclaimer: They aren't even close to being mine. They belong to Mainframe Ent.  
  
This fic is dedicated to my wonderful friend Lucy who will be making her grand debut in later chapters. Please enjoy! And don't   
forget to review!! ;)  
  
  
  
  
  
The Ties That Bind  
  
by  
Spookygirl  
  
  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Dot Matrix sighed as she walked into her apartment. Today had been long and trying on her patience. It had only been three months since the restart and already Mainframe was in danger again. This time, it wasn't from an ordinary virus or web creature, it was from a very powerful super virus named Daemon.  
Ever since Bob and Matrix had told them about Daemon, they had been making plans to prepare for her inevitable attack. Bob had said that it was only a matter of time until Daemon found Mainframe and when she did, she would be coming after the two remaining guardians.  
Dot had feared this and was doing everything that she could to protect her family and her city. It wasn't an easy job, but if it meant that Mainframe would be safe, she'd do anything.  
She had other problems as well, but they didn't have anything to do with viruses. Her biggest problem right now was Matrix. Since his return with Bob and AndrAIa, the renegade hadn't said a full sentence to her. He avoided her at all costs. It hurt a lot. She tried to talk to AndrAIa about it, but she had said that Matrix needed some time to get used to being home, not to mention having his younger self running around.  
Dot had told AndrAIa to tell Enzo that she would be here whenever he was ready to talk to her, but so far, he hadn't tried. So, the only thing she could do was wait and go through life one day at a time. At least she had her family back. She smiled as she thought of them.  
She and Bob had a steady relationship now and she mentally kicked herself several times for taking so long to admit her feelings for the handsome guardian. 'I've been doing that a lot lately, but it's worth it,' she thought. Bob couldn't seem to get enough of her. He was always coming to the Principal Office and trying to be with her as much as possible.  
Little Enzo didn't remember anything about the war or even the game that brought AndrAIa. He had said that the last thing he remembered was the day before AndrAIa's game had come. She had tried to tell him what had happened, but he just ended up confused and frustrated. Other than that, he was happy and hung around Bob all the time, as usual.  
She took off her head-set and set it on the counter in the kitchen and got a glass of data. "Enzo, I'm home!" she called.  
A minute later, her hyperactive little brother bounced into the room and hopped onto the kitchen counter. "Hey, Dot! What's processing?"  
"Not much, just glad to be home. How about you, sweetie?" she asked as she spun his cap around.  
"I had an alphanumeric time with Bob today!! He took me jet bowling and I actually beat him!! Can you believe it, Dot?!" he said excitedly.  
"Wow! You did? Great job! It's a good thing you did, because when he wins he brags forever! What else did you do?" she asked and moved to stand in front of him.  
" Well, um...I talked to Matrix in the diner earlier," he said in a quieter voice.  
'Hello!,' she thought, 'This is new.' "What did you talk about?" she asked a little warily. Everyone knew that Matrix wasn't too fond of Little Enzo. 'This could be a problem.'  
"Um...he asked me if I wanted to go to Floating Point with him tomorrow afternoon after school," the boy answered.  
"He did?" Dot asked.  
"Yeah, and he said that he wanted to spend some time with me and he was sorry that he had treated me so bad when I first met him." Enzo said. "Can I, Dot? I want to get to know him. I know he's me, but I still don't know him and he seemed like he really wanted me to go."  
"Well, I don't see why not. Is AndrAIa going with you?"  
"No, Matrix said he just wanted to spend some quality time with me."  
"Okay, Enzo, you can go. Just be home in time for dinner." Dot answered him. 'Now why won't he talk to me? If he can talk to Little Enzo, why not me?'  
"Cool! Thanks, Dot!!" the little sprite exclaimed. Then, he hugged her and ran out of the room.  
Dot sighed again as she watched him go into his room. 'I've been doing that a lot lately too,' she thought ruefully. 'What in the Net am I going to do about Matrix? He'll talk to Little Enzo, but not me? I don't understand any of this!' She sat down at the table and rubbed her forehead with her hand. "Oh, User, what am I going to do?" she said aloud.  
She didn't have much time to contemplate this. A vid window popped up before her. It was Mouse.  
"Hiya, sugah. Sorry t' bother you, but I've got a little problem here." The hacker turned and showed Dot her workstation. "A message just came for ya. It's addressed to all the Command.coms o' the 'Free Net.' I think you might want t' get down here."  
"Alright...um, did you call, Bob?" Dot asked.  
"I will as soon as I get off the window with you," Mouse said.  
"Good, and call Matrix and AndrAIa. Have them meet me in my office." Dot stood and grabbed her head-set off the counter and put it on, "Oh, and get Hack and Slash over here to watch Enzo."  
"Right away, Commander." Mouse replied with a wink. The window closed.  
"Enzo!" Dot called again.  
"Yeah, Dot?" the little sprite asked as he entered the room.  
"Sweetie, I'm really sorry, but I have to go to the Principal Office. Hack and Slash will be here soon to keep an eye on you. Make sure you do your homework files and behave yourself," Dot said and kissed her brother on the cheek.  
"Okay, Dot. I'll be good, I promise," he said and watched as she left the apartment.  
Dot walked into the diner. It was closed for the night, so she wouldn't have to worry about anything here. Cecil had shut down already and the place was spotless. 'I really ought to give Cecil a raise,' she thought.  
She left the diner and threw down a zipboard. She stepped onto it and was soon on her way to the P. O. She looked around the city as she zipped along. It was back to normal. The citizens went about their lives now as if Megabyte had never been there at all. She didn't want that peace to be shattered.  
Finally, Dot arrived at the P.O. and headed straight for her office. When she entered, she found that the others were already there waiting for her. "Hi, guys, sorry it took me so long. So, Mouse, what's this message about?"  
"Well, sugah, I didn't open it, but I think we all know who it's from and what it's about," the hacker replied. She handed the message to Dot.  
"Daemon," Dot said in an emotionless voice.  
The message was a small vid window. It was completely black. 'To the Command.coms of the Free Net' was written across it in blood red letters. The others waited in a tense silence as Dot tapped the window to play the message. A second later, the window expanded to regular size and the protectors of Mainframe saw Daemon for the first time.  
Daemon looked exactly like a sprite. Her skin was a dark red and her hair was ebony. She had yellow veins pulsing all across her body. She wore a black dress that fell down to her ankles and had slits up the sides that went all the way up to her thighs. Her eyes, believe it or not, were the scariest things about her. They were white and had the yellow veins going across them. Then, Daemon spoke.  
"Commanders of the Free Net, look upon me and cower in fear for I am your end. I am Daemon, the ruler of the Supercomputer and soon, the ruler of the entire Net. As I am sure you all know, the guardians are now my slaves. I have captured almost every system in the Net, except for two: System Alpha and System Mainframe.  
"This message is to warn you that your time is very limited. I have almost taken System Alpha, so let me assure you, Dot Matrix of Mainframe, that you are next. I will have your system and the two remaining guardians. It is useless to try and stop me for I am invincible.   
"I also have a little insurance that I will not fail." A second vid window appeared next to the first. In it, were three wanted posters. One of Bob, one of Matrix, and one of Dot. The money offered for their capture was an incredible amount, but Dot's offered the most. Dot was in shock, but she couldn't say anything because Daemon continued.  
"Ten million credits for Dot Matrix and five million a piece for each of the guardians. These signs are posted all over the Net and there are many who would seek my favor, so you don't have much of a chance. If you choose to, you may surrender and I will not destroy your system, but should you refuse, I will turn your system to cyber dust.  
I await your response." The vid window closed, leaving the sprites in a shocked silence.  
"Ten million credits. That's not bad, sugah. I've never been wanted for that much in my entire career as a hacker." Mouse said, trying to ease the tension in the room.  
"I'm flattered," Dot said sarcastically as she sat down in her chair behind her desk, "But the question is, why am I worth that much? I should think that Bob and Matrix would be her top priority since they're the only guardians that aren't infected."  
"Maybe she thinks that if she gets the system commander, she'll get the system too," AndrAIa said.  
"That's one possibility and the most likely, but how can we know for sure?" Matrix said with a thoughtful look on his face.  
"I think you're right, Matrix, and until we find out, I suggest the three of us lay low for a while," Bob said.  
"A wise idea, my son," Phong said, "There are rooms here that you may stay in."  
"Thank you, Phong," Bob told him, "Could you have Hack and Slash bring Enzo here?"  
"Certainly, Bob, I shall call them immediately," Phong replied and left Dot's office.  
"I think I'll go t' the hanger. Ray's coming back from his latest adventure," Mouse told them and left as well.  
"C'mon, Sparky, I think we should go find our room," AndrAIa told Matrix. The two sprites rose and walked through the door. AndrAIa walked out, but Matrix stopped and turned to Bob and Dot. "Look, Bob...Dot, don't worry about those posters. Nothing's going to happen to you."  
"Or you." Bob replied.  
"Goodnight, Bob." Matrix said and, after a moment, he added "Um...goodnight, Dot." He left before either could reply.  
Bob turned to face Dot. The Command.com was looking at the top of her desk. He walked around the desk and kneeled next to her chair. "Are you alright, Dot?"  
She looked at him, her violet eyes shimmering with tears, "Oh, I'm just fine, Bob. I'm alphanumeric! I've got a super virus after me, not to mention all the people who saw that poster, and my own brother can't even say two sentences to me. Why would you think anything's wrong?" She asked bitterly.  
"Dot, I'm not the enemy here. I just want to help you," he said and took her hand in his.  
"I know, Bob. I'm sorry, but this is just too much for me to process right now. Who knows what Daemon wants with us? I don't know what to think. The past six months have been the hardest times of my life. The only good thing that's happened is that I got all of you back, including the system. I'm just so tired of fighting." She said as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.  
Bob wiped them away gently and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "She won't get you or Matrix, Dot. I'll delete before I let that happen. I promise that I'll do everything I can to keep you and Mainframe safe," he whispered to her.  
She looked up into his eyes and saw his love for her shining in them. She knew he would keep his word. He always did. She smiled at him through her tears, "I know you will, Bob. You'd never let me down. Nothing will happen to you either. I'll protect you and Matrix. I'm the commander of this system and I'll do anything that I can to keep it and the people safe."  
He held her once more. She had to be the bravest sprite he'd ever met. He knew that she wouldn't let Daemon harm her system. She'd come up with a brilliant plan like she always did and Mainframe would be safe. Dot Matrix was not a good person to mess with when it came to the safety of her system.  
"You know what?" he asked her.  
"What?" she replied looking at him once more.  
"I love you, Commander Matrix," he told her with a gentle smile.  
"And I love you, Guardian 452," she said and stroked his cheek with her hand.  
He leaned forward and his mouth claimed hers in a gentle kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the kiss deepened. Dot let out all of her love for her guardian into the kiss and after a few more seconds, they separated.  
"One of my main problems is Matrix. Have you talked to him lately, Bob?" Dot asked him.  
"Um...yeah, I talked to him earlier today, just before Little Enzo and I went jet bowling," he replied, "Why? Is something wrong?"  
"What did he say to you?" she asked, ignoring his question.  
"He asked if I thought it was a good idea for him to spend some time with Little Enzo. I told him I thought it was a great idea."  
"Well, he listened to you because he's taking Little Enzo to Floating Point tomorrow after Enzo gets out of school. Did he say anything else?" Dot asked.  
"Yeah, he asked how things were going between me and you and I told him that everything was just fine. Then, he asked how you were. I said you were fine, but I didn't quite understand why he didn't go see you for himself. Is that what you're worried about?"  
"Yes. He won't talk to me. Every time I try to talk to him he just makes up some excuse about having to be somewhere else or he has to go do something and leaves before I can say anything else." Dot answered sadly.  
"Do you think that maybe he's afraid?" Bob asked her.  
"Afraid? Of what? His own sister?" Dot asked, not quite understanding what Bob meant.  
"No, not of you. I think he might be afraid of what you think of him and what he's become. He's told me some stories of what he, AndrAIa, and Frisket went through when they were game hopping. He said he was what he was because it was the only way to survive. Maybe he's afraid you think that he let you down when he lost that game? I don't know for sure, but I think it could be either one of those reasons, or it could be both." Bob explained.  
After a few seconds of thought, Dot replied, "I think you're right, Bob. I just wish he would talk to me. I even talked to AndrAIa and she said to just give him time. I will, but I can't stand the thought of my own brother being afraid of me. He's my brother, I love him no matter what he's done or who he's become. I thought he knew that."  
Before Bob could reply, a vid window opened showing Phong. "I'm sorry to interrupt, my child, but Little Enzo has arrived with Hack and Slash."  
"Thank you, Phong. Could you get him a room close to mine and tell him that I'll be there in a few minutes to talk to him?" Dot asked.  
"Of course, Dot," Phong replied. The window closed.  
"You're going to tell him, Dot?" Bob asked.  
"I'm going to have to. He'll start to wonder why he has to stay at the P.O." she replied.  
"I have an idea. Why don't you go talk to Enzo about our situation and I'll go talk to Matrix." Bob suggested.  
"Would you?" Dot asked hopefully.  
"Sure. I think AndrAIa will understand when I tell her what I need to talk to Matrix about. She'll leave us alone. It'll be no problem," he said flashing her his cocky grin.  
"Thank you, Bob, for everything," Dot said smiling at him.  
"No thanks needed, sweetheart," he told her.  
"Will you meet me later? We can talk some more," Dot asked him.  
"Absolutely," he replied. Bob gave her a quick kiss and left in search of Matrix.  
Dot stood and walked out of her office. She headed down the hall to the guest quarters. When she reached Little Enzo's room, she took a moment to plan out what she was going to say in her head. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.  
"Come in," she heard Enzo call out.  
She opened the door and walked in. "Hey, little bro."  
"Hey, Dot." Enzo smiled at her.  
"Mind if I sit down? There's something I need to talk to you about." Dot requested.  
"Sure, Dot," he said. She pulled a chair over next to his bed.  
"I want you to understand that what I'm about to tell you is very important, Enzo. It's nothing to joke about. Do you understand?" she began.  
"Yeah, I understand," he said, losing his playful air almost immediately.  
"Phong told you that you have to stay in the P.O. for a while?" she asked him.  
"Uh huh. He wouldn't say why though." Enzo answered, getting very curious.  
"I'll tell you why. I need you to be here so I know you'll be safe." Dot explained.  
"Why, Dot? What's going on?" he asked with a hint of fear.  
"I received a message from Daemon today. It was very disturbing to say the least. Bob, Matrix, and I are wanted by Daemon and the guardians. She's put up wanted posters all over the Net and offered a reward for each of us. Anyone who sees those posters will want to get their digits on that money because it's a lot. They might also want to win Daemon's favor." Dot told him.  
"How much is the reward?" Enzo asked.  
"Bob and Matrix are worth five million credits a piece." Dot answered.  
"What about you?" Enzo asked even though he was afraid of the answer.  
"Ten million." Dot said in a quiet voice.  
"What?!" Enzo asked fearfully, "Dot, they can't have you!! You can't let them!" He clung to her like a child would cling to their mother, "Dot, please don't let them take you!!"  
"I won't, baby, I promise. They won't get me without a fight." Dot soothed him as best she could. She held him and whispered reassurances to him. She was used to doing this. She had been Enzo's 'mother' for the longest time that all this was natural to her.  
"Dot, you can't let them have Bob or Matrix either." Enzo pleaded with her.  
"I won't, sweetie. I'll fight her with everything I have if it'll keep everyone safe. I won't let her harm Mainframe or my family," she swore with a strong determination burning in her eyes.  
Enzo saw this and he calmed down. He pulled away and rebooted into his pajamas. "Will you tuck me in, Dot?"  
"Of course. Don't I always?" she responded with a grin.  
Enzo climbed under the covers and snuggled in. Dot pulled the covers over him and kissed him on his forehead. "Goodnight, little brother, I love you," she said.  
"I love you too, Dot," he replied with a big yawn.  
Dot smiled and walked out of the room, turning off the lights and closing the door as she left. She opened a vid window and a CPU appeared on the other side.  
"Yes, ma'am?" he asked and saluted her.  
"Captain, I want two guards posted outside this room, understand?" she ordered.  
"Of course, Commander," the CPU replied.  
"I want them to stay there all night. If they need to change shifts that's fine, but I want two guards by this door all night," she said.  
"Certainly, Ms. Matrix," the CPU saluted again and closed the window.  
'Well, that's done,' she thought, 'I wonder how Bob is doing with Matrix...'  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
End of Chapter One  



	2. Closing the Rift

The Ties That Bind  
  
by  
Spookygirl  
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
Bob was on his way to find Matrix. He made his way down the halls of the P. O. toward the guest rooms. He sighed as he walked. This wasn't going to be easy. Matrix never shared his emotions with anyone except AndrAIa.  
It was hard to believe that the big, trigger-happy renegade had been a little boy who loved to tackle him just a few months ago. Now both the man and the boy were there. Bob still couldn't get over it even after all the time that had passed.  
The guardian stopped when he came to Matrix and AndrAIa's room. He took a deep breath to prepare himself and knocked on the door. After a second or two, the door opened, revealing AndrAIa.  
"Hi, Bob. What's processing?" she asked.  
"Nothing much, Andri. I was just wondering if I could speak to Matrix about something very important," he replied, stressing the words 'very important.'  
The game sprite caught on quickly. She remembered the conversation she had with Dot the other day in the diner. Bob must have come to try and settle things between Matrix and Dot. She winked at him. "Ok, no problem. Come in."  
"You don't mind do you?" Bob asked as he stepped inside the room.   
"No, not at all," she replied with a smile.  
Frisket was sitting on the floor by the bed. He growled at Bob when the guardian came into the room. Bob sighed internally. That dog would never give him a break.  
Matrix, who was sitting in a chair trying to get a small television set to show something more than snow, looked up when Bob politely cleared his throat. "Oh hey, Bob. Sorry, I didn't notice you, I just can't get this basic t. v. to work," he emphasized by banging the top of the television with his huge fist. The picture flickered for a split second, then resumed it's never-ending broadcast of snow. Matrix sighed ruefully, "I guess I should be grateful he's not Mike."  
Bob chuckled. "That's okay. I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."  
"Alright," the renegade replied, turning the t. v. off.  
"I'll leave you boys alone." AndrAIa said. She walked over to her lover and kissed him quickly. She went to the door. "Frisket, come on, boy," she called over her shoulder as she walked out the door.  
The feral dog rose from his spot on the floor obviously not pleased that he had to leave and with a final growl to Bob, followed AndrAIa out into the hallway. She gave Bob another wink and closed the door, leaving the two male sprites alone.  
After a short pause, Matrix cleared his throat and asked, "So, what did you want to talk to me about, Bob?"  
"Dot," the blue-skinned guardian answered bluntly.  
"What about her?" Matrix asked, clearly caught off guard.  
"I want to know why you're avoiding her, Enzo." Bob replied.  
The renegade flinched slightly at the use of his name. "Bob...I...look, you wouldn't understand okay?" Matrix answered, staring at the floor.  
"What wouldn't I understand, Matrix? You know you can tell me anything. Despite everything that's happened, this will never change."  
"Bob, I can't talk to her. There's no way in the Web that I could." Matrix said mournfully.  
"Why not? She's your sister. She thinks that you believe she doesn't love you anymore and it's killing her." Bob explained.  
"Why would she need me when she's got the younger version? He's her chance to start over. I'm going to try and be friends with Little Enzo, but I don't think I have a place in Dot's life anymore," was the sad reply. The hulking sprite stood and walked over to the bed. He sat down and sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit.  
"Do you really think that?" Bob asked as he moved to sit on the bed next to him. "If you do, I can't even begin to tell you how wrong you are. You know Dot will love you until her deletion day and beyond. How could you think that?"  
"I just thought she wouldn't accept what I've become. I've done some terrible things, Bob. I told you before that I did what I had to so we could survive. I didn't want to expose her to all that. She's already lost enough of her innocence because of me." Matrix said.  
"What do you mean?" Bob asked with a curious frown.  
"She never told you about the viral binome, did she?" Matrix asked, sighing quietly.  
"No, she hasn't. What happened?" the guardian replied, even more curious than before.  
Matrix took a deep breath and looked down at the floor, resting his arms on his knees. There was a slight pause and Bob could see the wave of emotions that passed over his friend's emerald green face. Before Bob could encourage him to continue, the renegade began his story.  
"It happened after a game Dot and I played in Baudway. I was so excited about the stupid game I forgot to tell Glitch to scan for Virals. I went on and on about how alphanumeric the game was and I didn't see the binome in the alley across the street.  
"He took a shot at me, but he missed. The next thing I knew, Dot had pushed me to the ground and fired a shot at the viral. I heard a scream and something hit the ground. Then Dot told me to stay put and ran into the alley to see if there were any more virals. After a few minutes, she didn't come back and I got worried. I went into the alley to look for her..." he stopped suddenly and Bob was surprised to see Matrix's shoulders shaking slightly as if he was trying not to cry.  
Bob put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, Matrix," he said gently. He knew that whatever Matrix was about to say wasn't going to be easy to tell.  
Matrix took a deep, shuddering breath and continued after giving Bob a small smile of thanks. "I went into the alley and I found Dot. She was just standing there looking at the ground. I couldn't see what she was looking at and I didn't see any other virals. I walked up next to her and...she was crying, Bob. There were tears running down her face and I didn't know why. I was so scared. I didn't know what was wrong. You know Dot never cries in front of people like that. Not even me. I asked her what was wrong over and over, but she didn't answer. She just kept staring at the ground.  
"Finally I looked down and I knew what happened. She was staring a green and black icon on the ground. I felt sick, like the world had tilted to one side real fast. She killed him, Bob. She killed him to save me. I tried to get her to talk to me, to say anything, but she didn't answer and she was still crying. Then Mouse showed up with a handful of CPUs. We must've been there longer than I thought. I told her what happened and she said she'd handle it.  
"She went up to Dot and said something quietly to her, I couldn't hear what. I still don't know how she did it to this day, but Mouse managed to snap her out of it. She looked at Mouse for a second and then she looked at me. There was so much...confusion and fear and...pain in that one look. I wanted to cry too. We went back to the P. O. and Dot acted like nothing happened. She threw herself into her work again. I couldn't think of anything else for the longest time.  
"It was all my fault, Bob. I made Dot a murderer when all I wanted was to make her proud and show her I could be a great guardian like you. She sacrificed what was left of her innocence for me. I've never forgiven myself for making her lose it." By the end of his story, Matrix's good eye had filled with tears, but he wouldn't let them fall.  
"Oh, Matrix, it wasn't your fault. Dot was just protecting you, that's all. You know she'd do anything to keep you safe." Bob said, trying to reassure him. He had listened in shocked silence as Matrix told the story. It was no wonder he was afraid to tell Dot. He had become something that Dot was afraid of becoming herself. "Matrix, why don't you talk to her? She's been wanting to talk to you for so long."  
"I don't think I can face her, Bob." Matrix replied, looking even more dejected than before he had started telling Bob about the incident. "I'm afraid of what she'll think when I tell her everything that happened to us."  
"She'll listen and she'll be there for you just like she always has been. You and I both know that." Bob said truthfully.  
"You think so?" Matrix asked him with a hint of hope in his voice.  
"Trust me, Matrix, I'd never lie to you. Now go talk to her." Bob prompted him, smiling encouragingly.  
Matrix stood and looked at Bob. "Where is she now?" he asked.  
"She should be in her room just down the hall." Bob answered.  
The guardian and the renegade both exited the room. "Thanks for everything, Bob." Matrix said.  
"No problem. Glad to be of help." Bob replied with a smile.  
Matrix returned the smile and walked down the hall to his sister's room.  
'Well, that was easier than I thought.' Bob thought, smiling to himself. The guardian was still smiling as he walked to his own room to access some downtime.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
Dot wasn't in her room. The Command.com had decided to check on the alarm systems to keep her mind off the multitude of problems she had to face. She was in the War Room looking over the reports the CPUs had compiled last month when the new alarms had been installed. So far, everything was working like clockwork. If only she could say the same about her life.  
She was still a young sprite, but she had been through many hardships much like her brother and her guardian. She couldn't help but be proud of her strength and determination, traits given to her by her father  
Dot shook her head. It was useless to think about him now. He was gone and that was the past. It was time to face the future. She continued reviewing the reports.  
Suddenly she heard the door to the War Room chime and open. Then there was the sound of footsteps walking toward her. It was probably Bob coming to see her like she'd asked earlier. "Hold on, Bob, I'll be with you in a second. I just need to finish reading this report on the new alarm systems."  
"Sorry, Dot, I'm not Bob," replied a deep voice that was definitely not Bob's.  
Dot turned around and came face to face with Matrix.  
"Oh! Enz...uh, Matrix...what are you doing here? I thought you were with AndrAIa." Dot said a bit awkwardly.  
"Um...yeah, I was, but I decided to take a walk." Matrix replied just as awkwardly. Why was it so difficult to talk to his own sister? She had practically raised him and he couldn't even say a single sentence without stuttering.  
"Ok, well, I can leave if you want to be alone," she said trying to keep her emotions in check. Inside, she was having a hard time trying not to let herself fall to her knees and beg him to talk to her. She couldn't force him. It wouldn't get her anywhere.  
"No...you can stay...if you want to," her brother replied slowly, looking at the floor.  
"I think the question is...do you want me to stay?" she asked looking up at him.  
He looked down at her and saw the plea in her eyes, begging him to say that he did want her to stay. He couldn't say no to a look like that to save his life. Time to scrounge up some of that good ol' courage and face the music. "Yeah, I do," he said quietly, giving her a small smile.  
"Really?" she asked hopefully.  
"Yeah, really." Matrix said with a chuckle.  
Dot couldn't hold herself back anymore. She flung herself into her brother's arms and held on for dear code. "User, I missed you so much," she said with a relieved smile.  
Matrix held his sister tightly, afraid to let go, afraid that this was all a dream and he would wake up in some distant system with AndrAIa trying desperately to get home. "I missed you too, sis," he replied happily with a smile of his own, "I'm sorry for being such a virus lately."  
"No, don't apologize. I understand. Just don't think I'd ever be scared of what you are. I know that you had to do what you could to come home. I would have done the same thing if I had been in your place. I would never hate or hear you."  
Matrix smiled down at her. "I have a lot more to tell you...that is, if you want to hear it."  
"Of course I do! I want to hear everything! Don't be afraid of my reaction. I will always be proud of you. You have a good heart, Matrix." Dot answered, pilling away from him.  
Matrix grinned proudly at his sister's praise. "Well, it's a long story. Why don't we go back to your room and I'll tell you."  
"Absolutely," she agreed and the left the War Room. "I do have one question though," she added as they walked down the hallway.  
"Shoot." Matrix replied.  
"What's with the tattoo?" Dot asked with an amused grin.  
"Matrix chuckled. "That's another long story, but let's just say I know a certain straight-laced workaholic who gave me the idea for it."  
"How did you know I had one? I tried to hide it from you." Dot inquired curiously.  
"I found some old high school pictures of you and your friends in your diary a while back," he answered with a smirk, then he started running down the hallway as his sister threatened to beat him to deletion.  
Dot chased after her brother shouting threats at him. "Enzo Matrix, I told you to stay out of my diary! Get back here so I can kick your ASCII!!!"  
The only response she got was his laughter echoing down the hall as he ran.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  



	3. Taken Away

Ok, here's Chapter three. It was a lot easier to fix than Chapter two and it didn't take me nearly as long to revise. Thank God for small miracles. This fic is dedicated to Lucy, Kate, and Jonathan. You guys are the best! Standard disclaimers apply...yadda yadda yadda.  
Enjoy!!  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
  
  
The next morning was full of tension as the sprites tried to make plans to defeat Daemon. Everyone was relieved that the two Matrix siblings had managed to work things out between them. The renegade and the system commander talked into the wee hours of the morning about their time apart and the different events that occurred. Matrix had shown up in the War Room with a small bruise on his shoulder that made everyone curious as to how he had acquired it. They figured it had something to do with Dot because the Command.com grinned smugly when Bob asked about what caused it. No other answer was given except the grin and Matrix's cheeks turning a darker shade of green.  
After hours of trying to come up with a decent plan, Dot sighed finally and leaned against the consol, rubbing her tired eyes. "Ok, I think we have a basic idea of what's going on here. There is only one remaining system besides Mainframe and Daemon even said that she almost had it under her control. If that's true, then we only have our own resources to rely on. We have approximately two hundred CPUs at our disposal, which isn't much compared to the guardians. How many did you say they have, Bob?"  
"Well, not counting the ones that are already in different systems across the Net, I'd say they have close to five hundred plus however many cadets Daemon's managed to infect. I think that would give her about seven hundred or so," the guardian replied solemnly.  
"It's pretty obvious that we can't fight 'em with brute force, sugah. So, that means we'll have ta find a way ta outsmart her." Mouse stated.  
"We could try infiltratin' the Principle Office, mates. I don't think the ruddy virals would be expectin' that." Surfr suggested from his spot next to Mouse by the circular map in the middle of the room.  
"That's a good idea, Ray. I'm leaning toward that as well. The only problem would be to get in and delete Daemon as fast as possible without running into too much trouble. That would take a lot of planning." Bob agreed with a meaningful glance at Dot.  
"I'll see what I can come up with." Dot replied with a small smile.  
"Ok, I think we could all use a break. I'm all for going to the kitchen and grabbing an energy shake. Anyone care to join me?" AndrAIa asked as she stood up from her consol and stretched her tired muscles.  
"I hear you." Matrix replied with a tired grin. He turned to ask Mouse and Ray, but the hacker and the search engine had already left. "Hm...guess they wanted to take a break too."  
"Yeah, I think they did." AndrAIa commented with a knowing smirk.  
"You two coming?" Matrix asked Bob and Dot.  
"In a minute, Matrix." Dot responded with a grin.  
"Alright, suit yourself." Matrix replied. He put his arm around AndrAIa's waist and the couple left the War Room.  
Dot turned to Bob. The silver armored guardian smiled at her. She approached him and hugged him gratefully. "Thank you for everything, Bob." Dot said, looking up at her lover.  
"No need to thank me. I'm glad you and Matrix worked things out." Bob replied and kissed her gently on her forehead.  
Dot smiled at him radiantly, leaving the guardian weak in the knees as always. She wrapped her arms around his neck and guided his lips to hers, kissing him passionately to show her gratitude while savoring the feelings he invoked in her. Bob held her tightly and returned her kiss with equal vigor, losing himself completely. They parted after a minute for lack of air.  
"Let's go meet the others." Bob said breathlessly, giving her a bright smile. He held out his arm to her and the Command.com accepted it with a smile.  
They walked to the P. O.'s kitchen. The others were already there, including Little Enzo and, to Bob and Dot's amazement...Hexadecimal.  
Before either of the sprites could recover from the shock of seeing the ex-virus sitting at the table chatting with AndrAIa, Little Enzo noticed his hero had entered the room. The little sprite jumped out of his seat and with incredible speed, tackled the guardian, accompanied with his usual shout. "BOB!!!"  
Bob shook his head, then looked up at the boy sitting on his stomach. "Hey, Enzo, what's processing?" he asked with a grin.  
"Wow, Bob! This is so alphanumeric!! High density! We're almost like roommates!! We can have so much fun!" Enzo said excitedly, flailing his arms around for emphasis.  
"Of course we can, but do you mind holding that thought so I can access some energy?" Bob replied.  
"Oh, yeah sure, Bob," Enzo climbed off him and reseated himself at the table. Bob stood and walked over to the counter where Dot was making the shakes for everyone with the help of AndrAIa.  
"Your usual, Bob?" Dot asked.  
"Yes, please," he answered and kissed her cheek.  
"Bob, would ya cut that out already? You're makin' me gag over here!" Mouse said with a smirk as she walked into the kitchen with Ray behind her.  
"Oh look who's talking! At least I'm not the one who holds the record for the longest kiss in the Supercomputer, Mouse," the guardian teased.  
"Alright, fine, ya got me there. Now go sit down before I kick your ASCII," the hacker replied and went to help Dot and AndrAIa. Bob obeyed her with a sly grin.  
"Do you really hold the record for the longest kiss, luv?" Ray asked curiously.  
Mouse looked at him incredulously and raised one fiery eyebrow. "What do you think, sugah?"  
"Never mind." Ray said shortly.  
Dot and the others finished making the shakes and passed them around the table.  
"Oooh what's this?" Hex asked excitedly as she looked at the shake.  
"It's uh...it's an energy shake, Hex. You drink it and it replenishes your energy." Bob answered her awkwardly.  
"What's it taste like?" Hex inquired looking at Dot.  
"Well, they come in different flavors. You can choose any kind you want," the Command.com replied.  
"So what flavor is mine?" the ex-virus asked.  
"Yours is strawberry. I didn't know what kind you'd like so I just went with that one. Try it, you might like it." Dot said and took a sip of her own.  
Hex did and the group soon regretted giving her any more energy. She liked the shake very much and proceeded to ask question after question about the different flavors they could come in and what the recipe was to make them. Then, when Dot got tired of answering her questions, she turned to Bob and began asking him.  
Dot looked around the table at her friends. They'd come so far in the past few months. It was nice that even with the viral threat hanging over their heads, they could still find a little bit of time to relax. She knew it wasn't going to last, but she was going to enjoy what little time they had.  
An hour and a half later, after tons of questions from Hex and a few more shakes, Dot decided it was time to get back to work. "Guys, I think it's time we head back to the War Room," she said reluctantly.  
"Yeah, you're right, sis." Matrix said.  
But before the group could even get up from the table, a vid window appeared in front of Dot. It was Phong.  
"My child, I believe you had better report to the War Room immediately," he said with a grave expression on his face.  
"I'll be right there, Phong." Dot replied, slipping into commander mode. She left the kitchen quickly with the others close behind her. When they arrived, they found Phong and Specks looking over a consol screen.  
"Oh dear, I'm afraid this is not good." Phong was saying as they entered.  
"What's not good, Phong?" Dot asked as she walked up to him.  
"My child, it seems that a majority of the citizens have seen the wanted posters. It seems to have caused a bit of a problem," the venerable sprite replied.  
"What kind of problem?" Dot asked as she tried to get a look at the consol.  
Phong and Specks said nothing. Specks turned the screen toward her. On it, hundreds of binomes were shown standing outside the P. O. shouting that they demanded to see the Command.com. Some of the binomes were holding copies of the posters.  
"Uh oh, sugah, Phong's right. This doesn't look good." Mouse said from behind Dot.  
"What are you going to do about it, Dot?" AndrAIa asked as she also looked at the screen.  
"I say we go out there and break it up." Matrix said with a scowl as he removed Gun from its place on his hip.  
"No, Matrix, put it away. They want the Command.com, so be it." Dot said decisively.  
"What? You're gonna go out there and face a mob, honey?" Mouse asked, her eyes going wide with shock.  
"Dot, I don't think that's a good idea." Bob said worriedly as he put a hand on her arm.  
"We'll come with you." AndrAIa spoke up.  
"She's right, luv, you can't go out there alone." Ray agreed.  
"You're going to stay in the P. O. I'm going out there and giving the people what they want. They want to speak to me and they have every right to that request. I'm going alone end of file." Dot said in a tone that clearly stated she was not to be argued with, "You can keep watch from here and if anything happens, I know you'll be there." That said, she turned and left the room  
"She's got guts, mate, that's for sure." Ray said to Bob.  
"Yep, that's Dot for you." Bob replied as he watched his lover exit the P. O. with a worried frown on his face.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
Dot went outside of the Principle Office and faced what looked to her like half the population of Mainframe all shouting angrily. The shouts died down as she approached. She cleared her throat and addressed them. "Citizens of Mainframe, what's the problem?"  
A one binome, who was apparently the leader, stepped forward. "Ms. Matrix, we want to know the meaning of these posters."  
Dot could have sworn that she had seen the binome somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where. She ignored the feeling for now and concentrated on answering the question. "There is a super virus who plans to take over the Net. Her name is Daemon and I received a message from her last night. She said that Mainframe was the only system she has yet to conquer along with System Alpha, but according to her, she's almost gained control of that system." Dot told them, hoping that it gave them some security.  
"And why is it, Ms. Matrix, that you are worth more than the two guardians?" the binome asked, holding up her wanted poster.  
"Honestly, I can't tell you that because I don't know myself. It's obvious why she wants Bob and Matrix, but she didn't say anything about me. My theory right now is that if she can get to me, the system will be easier to take over. Other than that, I don't know," she answered truthfully.  
"Well, what's to stop her from attacking us right now? She could be here at anytime and you're still making plans. You don't even have a solid plan to defeat her do you?" the binome asked with a scowl.   
"At this time we don't, but we do have a definite idea of how we are going to stop her." Dot replied, trying to ebb the rising fear she felt as the mob seemed to get angrier at her answer.  
"Oh really? Do tell," the binome replied sarcastically.  
Dot knew for sure that she didn't like this guy at all. Something's not right about him. "We do know that the best way we can stop her would be to infiltrate the Principle Office in the Supercomputer. We can't use force because we don't have the resources," she explained.  
"What were Daemon's demands?" the binome asked.  
Dot sighed; she knew this one had to come up sooner or later. "She says that if we surrender, she will not harm the system, but if not..." she trailed off.  
"Mainframe is doomed," the binome finished for her.  
"Yes." Dot answered sadly.  
"Why don't we just turn you in? Daemon said she would spare us if we surrendered," the binome said. This statement was met with shouts of agreement from the crowd. The mob began to advance on her.  
'Well, Dot, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into,' she thought fearfully. She started to back away from the crowd, but paused when she heard the sound of a portal forming behind her. She turned to see Bob coming out of the portal with Matrix and AndrAIa right behind him with their weapons ready.  
"Hey, pretty lady. Need some help?" Bob asked her with a grin.  
"Definitely." Dot answered gratefully.  
Matrix let out a low growl and fired Gun into the air. The crowd was quiet immediately and looked fearful of the renegade. "I think you should all go home before it gets ugly. And don't you ever threaten my sister again," he said scornfully.  
Almost as one, the crowd turned and fled as fast as their little legs could carry them. Matrix turned to his sister. "You alright, Dot?" he asked her, the concern showing where the anger had been seconds ago.  
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," she answered, giving her brother a weak smile.  
"May I suggest we go back inside before anything else happens?" AndrAIa asked as she minimized her trident.  
"No objections here." Dot replied and the group returned to the War Room.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"Well, that was a cheerful bunch." Ray said when the four sprites returned.  
"I'll say." Matrix replied bitterly. He leaned against the wall and brooded.  
"This is ridiculous, Dot! I don't understand why, after all you've done for these people, they'd turn on ya like that!" Mouse exclaimed angrily. The hacker was obviously not pleased with the situation. When the Mouse was angry about something, she let everyone know about it. Not that anyone could blame her in this case.  
"Calm down, Mouse, I knew it was coming." Dot said and sat down in a chair near her workstation.  
"You did?" AndrAIa asked, not bothering to conceal her surprise.  
"I don't get it, Dot, you knew it was coming? Then why in the Net did you go out there?" Bob asked.  
"I knew it was coming because it's one of the basic rules of taking over a system. To get the system faster, you do everything you can to turn the citizens against the leader. It just happened sooner then I expected. I went out there to show them and Daemon that I'm not afraid of what she can or will do. This mob means that Daemon has someone on the inside. My bet would be it's that binome that led the whole thing. Right now, I think it's time we got back to work," she said seriously.  
No one argued.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
It was well after midnight when they decided to call it a night. Of course, that was only because Mouse kept dozing off, but waking up every time her head drooped. Ray and AndrAIa had already fallen asleep. The game sprite had her head rested on her arms and the search engine was using his board as a makeshift bed. Bob and Matrix were making a valiant effort to stay awake, but were unfortunately failing miserably.  
Dot woke them all up and sent them off to bed, telling them to be ready for another planning session later that morning. This was met by a groan from the sleepy group of sprites. She didn't want to be so forceful about it, but trying to figure out how to beat Daemon was a serious matter and they all knew it.  
Dot sat down at her workstation and continued to work until she heard someone clear his or her throat to get her attention. She turned around in her chair.  
"Dot, I think it's time you call it a night." AndrAIa told her.  
Dot sighed and turned back to face her consol. "I don't think I can, Andri."  
The game sprite regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, and then went to stand next to her. "Why not?"  
Dot looked at her. "You're not easily scared are you?"  
AndrAIa thought for a moment, then replied, "No, I guess not. Why do you ask?"  
"Because I'm scared out of my mind. I'll be honest with you, Andri, I have no idea how in the Net I'm going to pull this off. For the first time in my life, I don't have a plan"  
Even after all we came up with today?" AndrAIa asked. She would never admit it to anyone, but she felt a little shiver of fear creep through her at Dot's statement.   
"I've gone over the ideas we had again and again, but they just won't work. They don't go into details or examine all the possible outcomes. Any number of things could happen before we could even get a mile away from the Principle Office and we don't have much time left." Dot answered worriedly.  
"Dot, I know you, you'll think of something. You always do."   
The Command.com smiled at her. "Thanks, Andri. I really appreciate it."  
"Anytime. Now, I suggest you get some sleep. You look like you haven't had a decent night's downtime in days."  
"It feels that way."  
"Come on, let's get out of here. I'm sick of seeing this room. I see it every time I close my eyes, I've been in here so much." AndrAIa joked. She walked to the door and waited for Dot to follow her.  
Dot laughed and grabbed her organizer. She followed AndrAIa out of the War Room and the two women walked down the hall to the guest quarters. They reached AndrAIa and Matrix's room a few seconds later.  
"Good night, Dot." AndrAIa said, opening the door. The sound of Matrix's snoring drifted out of the room.  
"Good night, Andri, I'll see you tomorrow." Dot replied with a smile.  
AndrAIa closed the door and Dot continued down the hall. She had almost reached her room when she felt something prick her in the arm. She let out a small cry and turned to see a male sprite she didn't recognize injecting her with something. He smiled maliciously at her and she felt like the world was spinning. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a guardian icon with green infection veins pulsing on his chest.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
End of Chapter Three  
  
  
  
Ok, now for what I'd like to call "The Thank You section":  
  
Dragonmaster: Thanks D. M.! I really appreciate it! Talk to you later!  
  
Rebecca: I'm glad it caught your interest! Thank you!  
  
Khartoum: Thank you for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind. I don't really know what I'm going to do with Megs, but my friend Kate would love for me to bring him back. ;)  
  
Green Goddess: I really hope you liked it!  
  
Sirinial: No, he won't be Daemon's bitch if I do bring him back, you nut! ;)  
  
Askani Blue: I wrote it as fast as I could, I swear! Hope you liked it! :)  
  
Alrighty, well, that was short. We really need to fix that people, my fingers aren't even cramped. I can't encourage you enough to review! If I don't get any reviews, I won't continue the story. Thank you again to all who did review and I hope you liked this chapter. Stay Frosty!!  



	4. Delivery for Daemon

Well, the revising is going a lot quicker than I expected. Here's chapter four for you. I hope you enjoy it.  
  
To Kate, Jonathan, Lucy, and Sherry. :)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but William Intel, Dufrayne, and the stuttering binome. Everything else I just want really badly. ;)  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
  
  
A lone binome was walking through the dank, dark alleys of Level 31. He didn't care about the dangers of wandering down here alone. He had grown up here and knew which places to stay away from and when. He made his way expertly past the abandoned warehouses and buildings that had long ago been left to rot. He slowed and turned down one final alley.  
A figure of what could only be a male sprite clothed completely in black was standing in the dark, leaning against the wall at the very back of the alley. He looked up as the binome approached.  
"Is it done?"  
"Yes, it's been taken care of," the man replied.  
"Alright, I did my part, I told you everything you needed to know, now give me my money," the binome demanded.  
The sprite reached into his coat and pulled out a briefcase. He set it down on the ground. "There you are, Mr. Dufrayne, ten million credits with the compliments of Mistress Daemon."  
Dufrayne looked happily at the briefcase. So what if he had betrayed his system? He had all those credits to comfort his conscience.  
The sprite started to walk out of the alley.  
"Wait, you're not leaving until I make sure it's all here." Dufrayne said.  
"Very well, open it and see for yourself," the annoyance wasn't even attempted to be concealed from the man's voice.   
Dufrayne let out a cry of glee, which soon turned into a cry of terror when he opened the case. His screams could be heard all throughout the surrounding area as a viral bug pounced on him, deleting him in a matter of seconds.  
"Micro, energy beam," the man commanded.  
A keytool on the sprite's arm sprang to life and shot a powerful beam at the bug, turning it to cyber dust. The man shed his coat, revealing a guardian uniform underneath it and tossed the coat into a nearby dumpster.  
"Micro, portal to the Supercomputer," he ordered. A portal formed and the man walked over to the dumpster. He pulled from behind it a bundle wrapped in a blanket. The only clue as to what lay inside the blanket was a single green hand sticking out from it. The guardian put the bundle over his shoulder and walked through the portal, leaving the wasted sector behind him.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
Mouse and Ray were walking down the main hallway of the Principle Office on their way to meet the others. It was time once again to go through hours of preparing for the upcoming invasion.  
"Sugah, ah sure hope Dot's got a plan cuz ah've got no ideas." Mouse was saying.  
"Well, luv, from what I've seen, she's pretty good at plannin' ahead. Let's just go and see if she's come up with anything." Ray replied.  
"Yeah, you're-" she was cut off when she saw Bob rushing up to them. "What's wrong, Bob?" Mouse asked, noticing the look of barely restrained fear on the guardian's blue face.  
"Have either of you seen Dot?" he asked anxiously.  
Ray was the first to answer. "No, mate, we haven't seen her since the meeting last night. Why? What's processing?"  
To answer Ray's question, Bob held up his right hand. He was holding Dot's organizer. "I found this on the floor in the hallway in front of Dot's room. I think we all know her well enough to know she doesn't go anywhere without this. I knocked on her door six times and I never got an answer. I tried the knob and it was unlocked. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in her room so I figured she didn't realize it was gone. I checked everywhere and I asked the guards. No sign of her," he said with a frown.  
"Ah'd say it's time for an emergency meetin', sugah." Mouse said seriously.  
The three sprites walked quickly down the hall to Phong's office. On the way, they met up with Matrix and AndrAIa.  
"Hey, guys, what's processing?" AndrAIa asked in greeting.  
"We can't find Dot. We're on our way to see Phong." Bob answered, not bothering to stop walking.  
"What?! She's gone??" Matrix asked as he walked quickly to keep up with his hero.  
"Bob, maybe she snuck out to check on the diner or one of her businesses. You know Dot doesn't like to be cooped up for a long period of time." AndrAIa reasoned.  
"She knew how serious the threat against her was, she wouldn't have gone without one of us to protect her and even then she wouldn't risk putting us in danger." Bob replied.  
"Honestly, hon, this is Dot we're talkin' about. If she thought one of us would be in danger, she'd just go by herself. You know nothing can stop her when she puts her mind ta somethin'."  
"That's what I'm afraid of, Mouse," was the grim reply.  
The group reached Phong's office a few seconds later. They entered quickly and the door closed behind them. The old sprite was watering a plant by his desk. He looked up when they entered. "Ah, my children, is there something I can help you with?"  
"I hope so, Phong. Have you seen Dot at all today?" Bob asked.  
"No, my son, I have not. Is something the matter?"   
"We can't find her anywhere and none of us have seen her since last night." AndrAIa explained.  
"Indeed. This is most serious. Come with me, my children." Phong put the watering can on his desk and rolled out of the room with the others following close behind.  
The War Room was empty when they arrived. Bob sighed to himself. He had hoped that Dot would've been in here trying to come up with a plan, but, as with the five other times he had checked the room already, she wasn't there. He felt the fear he was trying desperately to control increase.  
Phong went over to a consol and began searching. He typed furiously. The only sound for the next few seconds was the clacking of the keys as he worked. After a series of beeps, Phong looked up at the assembled sprites and shook his head sadly. "I am sorry, my children, but...the Command.com is no longer in Mainframe."  
Matrix let out a furious roar and punched the wall next to him, leaving a considerable dent. They all knew what that meant. Dot wasn't basic enough to go off on her own to fight a super virus. That meant wherever she was, she hadn't gone willingly.  
Bob didn't say a word though he felt like screaming from the growing agony he felt. Dot was gone and he hadn't even known that she was until long after she was taken. How in the Net had they gotten past security? One thought stood out from the multitude of others raging in his head: "You failed her. You let her down when she was depending on you the most."  
"Why don't we check the video from the security camera?" Mouse suggested.  
"Yeah, great idea, Mouse." AndrAIa said.  
Mouse walked over to Phong's consol and typed in a few commands, opening the security file. "Who was the last person that saw Dot last night?"  
"I think I was," said AndrAIa.  
"Where was the last place you saw her?"  
"Outside our guest room."  
"Around what time?"  
"I'd say it was about half past midnight."  
"Ok." Mouse found the video file she was looking for and rewound it. After a few seconds of watching all of them leaving their rooms at various times, and a few more of nothing but the empty hallway, she found what she was looking for. "Hello, what's this?" She played the tape and pulled it up in a vid window for everyone to see.  
The tape showed Dot walking to her room. Her organizer was on her belt. "Well, she definitely had it with her..." Mouse mumbled to herself. The others watched carefully as the scene played out before them. Dot was almost to her room when, out of nowhere, a figure in a black hooded coat came up behind her and stuck what appeared to be a syringe into her arm. She didn't even have time to struggle. Dot lost consciousness and fell into the stranger's arms. As he picked her up completely, the hood of his coat fell back revealing a sprite with light green skin and dark blue hair. He left the hallway quickly and Mouse stopped the tape.  
"William. William Intel. That son of a viral." It was Bob's turn to growl low and deadly.  
"You know him, Bob?" AndrAIa asked.  
"We went to the Academy together. Let's just say he wasn't the best sprite in the Net. He was always getting hauled into Turbo's office because of some stupid prank or something. I was surprised he even got a keytool."  
"Just let me get my hands on him." Matrix said angrily while cracking his knuckles.  
"Matrix, calm down. Now is not the time. We need to figure out how we're going to get Dot back. We need a plan." AndrAIa said, trying to soothe her angry lover.  
A sad grin crossed many of the faces in the room. AndrAIa had been hanging around Dot too long.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
The Supercomputer was the biggest system in the entire Net. In its days of glory, it was a beautiful system that tourists loved to visit. It was full of things for everyone to enjoy from parks to museums. Now, it was looked upon in fear. No one dared to go near the Supercomputer unless they were a guardian or infected slave. If they were neither, deletion was in the near future. Many had gone in, but they never came out. Only the guardians did.  
The sky was a murky gray and the system lay in ruins from Daemon's takeover. Only the Principle Office remained in good condition for Daemon wouldn't have it any other way. The P. O. had been 'redecorated' and was now in mostly black and red, the symbolic colors of Daemon. The throne room was the grandest of all. It was huge and the roof stretched at least fifty feet high. The floors were black marble and the walls crimson red. On the floor, there was a matching red carpet leading up to Daemon's throne.  
The super virus sat on her ebony throne contemplating her biggest problem: Guardian 452 and System Mainframe. She had to admit (though she would never do so aloud) that they were a force to be reckoned with from all the information she'd gathered from her inside sources, but if her plan succeeded, it would be no trouble getting control of it.  
Her thoughts were interrupted as the heavy doors at the entrance to the throne room opened. This only irritated her. Surely her slaves knew she was not to be disturbed!  
A one binome nervously walked up to the throne and kneeled before her. "My Lady, G-guardian Intel had r-returned," he said nervously.  
Finally! Her plan had worked! She had told Intel that if he did not succeed in his mission not to bother coming back if he valued his worthless life. "Send him in," she demanded.  
"R-right away, M-my Lady," the binome stuttered, then walked out of the room quickly to carry out her order.  
A moment later, William Intel walked into the room carrying something over his shoulder. She smiled as Intel put the load on the floor at the foot of her throne. Victory was so close.  
"Mistress." Intel bowed.  
"Spare me. Did you succeed?" she asked impatiently.  
"My Lady, I give you..." he paused as he bent down and moved the blanket away from the figure on the floor, "...Dot Matrix, Command.com of System Mainframe."  
Daemon smiled evilly. After all the work, all the planning, and all the time, the Net was finally hers!  
"Leave us," she ordered, not looking up from the sprite on the floor.  
"Mistress, wouldn't you rather I put her in one of the cells in the security ward?" Intel asked.  
"I said leave us, you stupid half-wit!" she screamed.  
"Yes, Mistress, begging your pardon." Intel replied and with one final bow, he hurried from the room, the massive doors closing behind him.  
Daemon rose from her throne and approached the unconscious woman on the floor. She knelt down next to Dot and moved a lock of greenish-black hair out of the Command.com's face. Daemon studied her, turning her face this way and that. After a moment, she stood upright and called for a servant. The same binome from before walked in and bowed before her. "Y-you called, Mistress?"  
"See that Ms. Matrix is given one of the finest guest rooms and post a guard outside the door at all times. Make someone stay in the room with her and have them inform me the moment she regains consciousness.  
"R-right away, M-my Lady," the binome stuttered and left the room quickly to prepare a guest room.  
Daemon looked at Dot again. "Yes, you'll do quite nicely," she said, her wicked smile returning.  
Dot didn't know it, but when she woke up, her life would change forever.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
  
Don't you just hate me? :) I know, major cliffie. You want the next part you gotta review. Ok, I hate to do this, but I'm starting to think that you guys don't like this story. The major reviews I got stopped after Chapter one. So, I'm gonna start asking for a certain number of reviews before I post the next part. All I'm asking for is a least ten reviews before I post Chapter five. That's not too much to ask is it? Ten, that's all I want and you get the next chapter. If I get more than ten, then that would be great, but ten is all I'm asking for.   
  
Now for the thank you:  
  
Sirinial: I'm not being mean to Dot, I'm just going to have a little fun is all. Thanks for the review! ;)  
  
Stay Frosty everyone!  



	5. Changing Sides

Ok, I didn't get ten reviews, but I decided to go ahead and post Chapter five for two very special people who did review it: sTePh and XiaNA fAiRy PriNceSs. I can't thank you both enough for all your support. sTePh, that was a very kind offer and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. This chapter is respectfully dedicated to you two. I hope it's worthy of such great readers.  
  
Disclaimer: Lucy Server and the two guardians. Everything else belongs to Mainframe Ent. There is one thing I kept forgetting to mention. Yes, I realize how similar some of this fic is to 'The Daemon Conflict' by LadyBard. Especially my description of Daemon. Trust me peeps, you want a good Daemon fic plus a really awesome sequel, go read her fics. You'll love them, I guarantee. I'm sorry if you think I'm copying, but I swear I just borrowed it and I'm giving her full credit for it because she deserves no less for such an awesome fic and for all her hard work.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
The tension in the air of the War Room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. To add to it, the sprites were overcome with worry for their friend. Still, no one could formulate a good enough plan to rescue Dot. Matrix and Mouse were all for storming the P. O., in the Supercomputer, but Bob, AndrAIa, and Ray insisted that to do so would be committing suicide.  
"Look, Bob, all I'm saying is that if were take them by surprise we stand a very good chance to get past the security." Matrix growled. The renegade was very upset that AndrAIa hadn't stood by him with this much like the time with the spectrals.  
"Matrix, this is the entire Guardian Collective you're talking about! Hundreds of infected guardians all with key tools. No matter how many you manage to take out, there'll be more to stop you! There has to be another way! Besides, Mainframe doesn't have nearly enough of the resources we'd need for an attack against the Collective." Bob reasoned.  
"Bob's right. If we do that, then we won't have a chance to save Dot. There's no way we could get past all those guardians with just the five of us!" AndrAIa agreed.  
"Well, sugah, I'd like to know if you have a better idea." Mouse said, crossing her arms and leaning against the circular map of Mainframe.  
Bob sighed and rested his hands on the console in front of him. He closed his eyes and said dejectedly, "No, I don't. Dot's the one with all the plans." He opened his eyes when he felt spindly fingers close around his wrist. He opened his eyes and looked to his right. Phong looked at him with a wizened gaze and the amazing patience that only comes with age. He gave Bob a gentle smile then turned to the group. "My children, I have a plan." They gathered around him. "Now, here is what we must do..."  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
A female sprite named Lucy was sitting in a spacious and richly decorated room in the guest quarters of the P. O., her sparkling raspberry red eyes focused intently on a green-skinned woman as the she slept. Her mistress had ordered that Lucy tell her the moment the woman woke up, but so far, she hadn't even moved. Lucy knew that her mistress would be mad if she didn't hear from her soon. Daemon was very impatient. Lucy feared making her mad and prayed that the woman would wake up soon as she twisted a gold ring with a single rectangular shaped ruby around on the ring finger of her left hand.  
She had been told by one of the guards outside the room that the woman's name was Dot Matrix. Lucy had heard of her. She was close to the two uninfected guardians and she was the Command.com of Mainframe. It was no wonder Mistress Daemon wanted her, but Lucy had been told there was another reason for the Command.com's capture. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it couldn't bode well for the woman.  
Her thoughts were interrupted as the Command.com moaned. Dot opened her violet eyes. She looked at her surroundings and sat up quickly when she didn't recognize where she was. She looked over to her right when a sprite stood from her chair. She was about 5'8" with teal skin and straight, slightly wavy blonde hair that fell to just below her shoulders. Her bangs ended just above her eyebrows revealing shining reddish-pink eyes. She had glossy red lips as well. The sprite was wearing a sky blue tank top with form-fitting black pants and heeled black boots.  
"Good, you're awake. I'll go tell Mistress Daemon." Lucy told her and went to the door. She knocked once and it opened showing two guardians standing in the hallway. One was of medium build with gray skin and blue hair. The other was almost as well built as Matrix and had orange skin with black hair. Before Dot could protest, she was gone and one of the guards had closed the door, locking it.  
"Oh my User!" Dot whispered fearfully. She was in the Supercomputer about to be put into the hands of the most dangerous virus in the Net.  
Dot quickly climbed out of the bed and looked around the room to find a means of escape. She didn't remember how she got there except for a sharp pain in her arm and a strange male sprite injecting her with something. She didn't know how long she'd been knocked out, but it was apparently long enough for the man to get her to the Supercomputer and safely deposited in Daemon's base.  
She searched frantically for a way out of the room, but she found none. She hated to admit it, but she was scared out of her mind. Where was Bob? Did he know she wasn't in Mainframe anymore? Was he coming for her now? She could only hope that Bob would be there soon.  
Dot sat down on the bed and tried to keep her fear in check. Not an easy task. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around the room to try to keep her mind off of her predicament. It was very luxurious. The bed was a huge four-poster with a black canopy and red silk sheets. In fact, the whole room was decorated with the same shades of black and red. It gave her the jaggies.  
After a few minutes of looking at the décor, Dot stood and started to pace nervously. She knew there was no way in the Net she could defeat Daemon by herself. Daemon was too powerful and Dot was only a data sprite. Again, Dot couldn't think of a plan to get herself out of trouble. She thought about using her gun to blast her way out, but when she reached for it, it was gone.  
The door opened suddenly and the same sprite from before entered followed by two male guardians. All three of them had the green infection veins pulsing on their temples. Dot couldn't help but think that she'd have them soon too.  
"Our mistress will see you immediately," the female sprite said.  
"And what if I choose not to go?" Dot answered defiantly, trying to gather her courage.  
"Who said you had a choice, Ms. Matrix?" the sprite answered coldly.  
At that, the two guardians came toward her. They each grabbed one of her arms and forced her out of the room. Dot struggled as best she could, but she was no match for them. The girl walked in front of them and led them to two huge black doors that reached all the way to the ceiling. She knocked quietly and the doors opened.  
"Please, come in," a voice hissed from inside.   
Dot felt a chill go down her spine when she heard it. She knew whom that voice belonged to and she dreaded coming face to face with its owner. The female sprite stood to the side so they could pass and closed the doors behind them.  
The two burly guardians shoved her across the room. They stopped at the base of an elegant black throne. It was then that Dot came face to face with the infamous Daemon. She was sitting regally on her throne, her long black dress flowing around her. The super virus looked at her, the infection veins across her white eyes glowing brightly. Dot felt goose bumps rise on her skin and she shuddered lightly.  
The two guardians forced her to her knees and they bowed respectfully to their mistress. Dot looked back at the virus, trying to put all of her anger and hatred into it. Daemon smiled evilly and stood.  
"My, aren't you a fiery one," she commented. "Release her." Daemon ordered.  
The guardians did as they were commanded and took a step away from Dot. The Command.com got to her feet and angrily glared at Daemon. "What do you want with me?" she demanded. Daemon moved forward and stood in front of Dot, the bright lights of the ceiling reflecting off of her crimson skin.  
Daemon studied her for a moment and then smiled once again. "There are several reasons why I want you, Ms. Matrix. You're close to the guardians that are not yet under my control and you'll be very useful to my army, but there is another more important reason that you will soon find out."  
"Oh? And what would that be?" Dot asked with a sneer. Inside, Dot was horrified to even think of what the third reason was.  
"Do you know how difficult it is to take over the entire Net, Ms. Matrix?" Daemon asked instead of answering.  
Dot didn't know whether to be grateful or angry that the virus had avoided her question. "I'm sure it was easy as pi squared." Dot answered sarcastically, taking a few pointers from Mouse's personality. She wished Bob and the others were there to get her out of this mess.  
"Sarcasm? I do believe you've been hanging around your friend Mouse a bit too much, Dot. However, I assure you that taking over the entire Net is not an easy task. It took quite a bit of time, effort, and planning." She looked meaningfully at the Command.com at the last part. "I hear you're an excellent planner. That will be a very useful skill for your new 'job.'" Daemon said.  
"Who said I was going to work for you?" Dot asked scornfully. If she could just stall the virus for a little while, she could hopefully think of some way to escape.  
Daemon looked at the two guardians standing behind Dot. "Leave," she ordered bluntly. They obeyed. She looked at Dot once more. "You won't be working for me, Dot, you'll be the heiress to my empire.   
If Dot had expected anything out of her first encounter with Daemon, it certainly wasn't that. "What?!" she exclaimed. Daemon wanted her to take over the empire that she had acquired? There was no way in the web that was going to happen. "You're completely random! Why in the web would you want me to take over what you claimed to work so 'hard' for?"  
"It's simple really, Dot. I know you like to be prepared for any occurrence...oh, don't be surprised, I know everything about you. You see, you and I are similar in almost every way. We think exactly alike. You plan for everything just as I do. Failure is unacceptable as it is for me. You're unbeatable. You take whatever the User throws at you. Just like me. I've learned all of this from an old...acquaintance of yours..." Daemon trailed off.  
"Who would that be?" Dot asked curiously.  
"I believe you remember Megabyte?" Daemon asked off-handedly.  
Dot couldn't stop the wave of rage that rolled over her at the mention of the viruses' name. "How could I forget?"   
"Well, let's just say that he had quite a bit to say about you and your friends. I must say, he was very informative. A squadron of my guardians found him when he opened a portal to the Supercomputer from the web. Turns out he found a rogue search engine and infected him. Imagine his surprise when he saw that I had already achieved total control of the Guardian Collective as well as the Net. Ironic isn't it? The one thing he wanted more than anything else and he was too late. The Net is mine. Sadly, Megabyte is no longer with us." Daemon said with a cruel laugh. The sound of it made Dot want to shudder, but she held it back.  
"But you said you knew everything about me. Megabyte certainly didn't know much." Dot said. Her processor was totally blank. Daemon had shocked her more in the last few minutes than anyone had ever done in her entire life.  
"Choosing my heir was a very difficult task. I wanted to pick the right person who fit my criteria. I had my slaves research the backgrounds of people all across the Net. That's where I found you. I studied your profile and you are the best out of all the likely candidates. I have chosen you out of millions. You should be thanking me. You will be my second in command and when I delete, you will inherit my glorious empire. The Net will forever be under the rule of viruses and you will continue the line with my descendants. You will have everything you desire and no one will stand in your way! You will rule it all! What is your answer?" Daemon said.  
There was only one word going through Dot's mind. "No." she said hatefully, narrowing her eyes at the super virus.  
Daemon sighed and motioned with her left hand. Dot felt her legs give out from under her and she was once again on her knees. She tried to move, but she couldn't. It was like she was frozen in place. "I thought you would say that." Daemon said in an almost bored tone.  
"I won't be your heiress! I refuse!" Dot cried out hopelessly.  
"Well, I am very sorry you feel that way." Daemon placed her hands on Dot's temples. "I'm sure you'll thank me for this when you see the outcome." Daemon told her with a smile. The virus closed her eyes.  
Then, Dot experienced pain like she'd never felt before. It was like fire, consuming her body until she felt like she was being burned alive. She could sense a change coursing through her systems and the pain increased to an unbearable level. Dot screamed in agony. She knew this was it. Whatever the virus was doing to her, it wasn't just a normal infection. Tears of intense pain and sorrow fell freely down her face as she thought of her family and friends, but mostly of the blue-skinned guardian that held her heart. 'Bob...oh User, I'm so sorry.' It was the last thought she had. And out of the ashes of Dot Matrix's mind, a new being was born.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
Lucy stood outside the doors to the throne room. She flinched when she heard the agonizing screams coming from inside. No one could help Mainframe's Command.com now. She sighed quietly and walked sadly down the hall, listening as the screams faded into the distance.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
End of Chapter Five  
  
  
Gee, I wonder what you're thinking right now...I bet it's along the lines of 'Must kill...' Well, here's the deal, Chapter six hasn't been written yet *ducks sharp flying objects and rotten fruit* but I promise to start working on it immediately. I won't be lenient this time. I want ten or no Chapter six. sTePh, as much as I appreciate your offer, I can't accept ten reviews from the same person. Thank you so much for your support again. XiaNA fAiRy PriNceSs, thank you again and I didn't mean to torture you though I'm sure I must be now if your review was any indication. I hope Chapter six will be worth the wait for you! Until next chapter everyone!! :) 


	6. Enter Valkyrie

Well, the long-awaited chapter six at last, folks. Sorry it took me so long. I had finals this week...GRR...anyway, it's finished and ready for you to read. I really hope you enjoy it!  
  
Disclaimer: See previous chapters.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
  
  
"Ah don't know, Phong, that idea sounds pretty risky to me." Mouse said from her position next to the golden sprite. The group was in Phong's office going over his plan. The old sprite had surprised them with his idea, but it seemed to be the best option after looking over all the ideas they'd come up with in the previous meetings.  
"It is indeed risky, my child, but it will also prove affective," was the reply.  
"He's right, Mouse. I think we can pull it off." Bob said, looking at the vid window that showed the details of the operation.  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Bob?" Matrix asked from across Phong's desk.  
"Yeah, let's do it." Bob answered.  
"I will get you the materials you need, my children." Phong said and rolled out of his office.  
"I sure hope this works, mate." Ray said to Bob.  
"Don't worry, Ray, it'll work." AndrAIa said from by the doorway.  
Bob went over the plan one more time, but he couldn't stop his thoughts from straying to Dot. Was she ok? Was she even alive? Yes, she was. She had to be. But what if she wasn't? What would he do then? He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. It was no use working him self into a panic now. He needed to focus. A large part of this plan revolved around his actions and he needed to be ready.  
"Bob, you alright?" Mouse asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get ready. We leave in two days." That said, he walked out of the office, leaving the others to get themselves prepared.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"You called, Mistress?" Lucy Server asked as she bowed before Daemon.  
The super virus was sitting on her throne with a smile on her face that could only be described as smug and wicked, yet when she spoke, it was with unusual gentleness "Yes, Lucy, I did. You have been faithful to me have you not?"  
"Of course, My Lady. I live only to serve you." Inside, though she could never say it without risking deletion, she didn't want to serve Daemon. In fact, Lucy hated her, but she had to do all that she could to stay alive and that meant doing whatever Daemon ordered.  
"Good. I have a new job for you, Lucy, one I'm sure you will be most honored to receive."  
Oh User, what did she want her to do now? "I'm honored that you've chosen me, Mistress. What is it that I'm to do?"  
"I want you to take care of Valkyrie for me. She is still disoriented from her altering, so I will need you to help her recover." Daemon rose from her throne and stood before Lucy. "You will not fail me understand?"  
"No, of course not." User, how Lucy wanted to look anywhere but into those eyes with the yellow veins pulsing, but she knew Daemon wanted her to look there so she could see if Lucy was lying.  
"Excellent. Report to Valkyrie's chamber at once. She is in the room at the end of the hall. She should regain consciousness any moment now. I want a full report of her progress at the end of the day.  
"As you wish." Lucy bowed once more and quickly took her leave. When the heavy doors to the throne room closed behind her, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. Talking to Daemon or even being in the same room with her was enough to make goose bumps rise on her skin and the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up. Now Daemon wanted her to play nursemaid. Who was this Valkyrie anyway? She'd never heard the name before. Must be another infected guardian.  
She walked down the hall of the guest rooms and passed the room where Dot Matrix had been kept. Thinking of the Command.com caused a pang of regret to go through her. The woman was surely deleted now if she assumed correctly. Those screams filtered through Lucy's head and she repressed a shudder.  
Lucy reached the door Daemon had said was Valkyrie's room and knocked twice. No answer. The sprite must still be unconscious. Lucy quietly opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. The room was dark with a faint light coming from the lamp on the bedside table. Lucy could see the figure of a woman lying on the bed, the blankets pulled up to her shoulders. Her body rose and fell with her steady breathing. Lucy stepped up to the bed and got her first look at Valkyrie. "Oh sweet User above," she said breathlessly.  
The sprite on the bed was Dot Matrix. She still looked the same, except for the infection veins on her temples. If they were green like hers, Lucy wouldn't have been so startled, but they weren't green. They were purple. Daemon had chosen her heir, someone to carry on the viral line. Instead of just infecting the Command.com Daemon had converted her entire code from data sprite to super virus. Only super viruses had that power.  
Well, there wasn't much Lucy could do about it. She did feel very sorry for the woman, but she had to obey her mistress. Now she had two mistresses, Daemon and Valkyrie. Her hatred for Daemon increased. How could she ruin this woman's life like that? Not to mention hers as well along with countless others across the Net. Lucy struggled to keep her emotions in check. Daemon would be able to pick up her emotions if they were too strong.  
Sighing quietly, she pulled a chair from by the wall up next to the bed and sat down to wait for her new mistress to wake up.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"Ah, Turbo, what a pleasant surprise."  
Prime Guardian Turbo stopped in his tracks on the way to the War Room. He turned and came face to face with Daemon. He bowed slightly. "Mah Lady, the pleasure is all mine."  
"Of course it is. I need you to do something for me." Daemon replied.  
"Anything you wish." Fighting the infection was getting harder everyday for Turbo, but it still sickened him to obey the viral witch.  
"I will be making an announcement to my subjects in two days time. I need you to make the preparations for it."  
"Yes, ma'am. May ah ask what the announcement is about?"  
"I will be informing my people that I have chosen an heir."  
Turbo's energy froze in his veins. An heir? Oh User. He had to tell Bob. "Who will our new ruler be, Mistress?" he asked carefully.  
"You will see in two days time, Turbo. Now, continue with your duties. I still intend to capture the two rogue guardians."  
"By your leave." Turbo bowed quickly and walked down the hallway. As soon as he knew he was far away from Daemon, he changed his course and headed toward his room. Bob had to know this as soon as possible.   
When he got there, he made sure his door was locked and looked down at his keytool. "Copeland, get me Guardian 452, secure channel." Copeland beeped and was about to carry out the order when it was interrupted. A vid window popped into existence in front of him, but this one did not carry the face of Guardian 452. It was instead a very angry William Intel glaring back at him.  
"Turbo! What are you doing?"  
For a split second, Turbo was afraid that Intel knew what he had been trying to do, but the next words out of Intel's mouth reassured him that he didn't.  
"You're late for our meeting!" Intel had that insolent tone of voice Turbo had known so long ago, but still hated today.  
"Oh, Intel, ah'm sorry, ah just had to check somethin'. Ah'll be right there."  
"Well hurry up, we don't have all day to wait for you." The vid window closed leaving Turbo alone in the room once again. He knew that if he didn't report immediately, they'd suspect something, so he resolved to warn Bob as soon as he possibly could. He just hoped he could get time alone after the meeting. He sighed reluctantly to himself and silently apologized to his friend for the delay in relaying this important information. The Prime Guardian walked out of the room and headed for the meeting room.  
  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"Oh, but, Bob, I want to go too!" Hexadecimal pouted as she followed Bob across the Principle Office.  
"Hex, for the last time, no. I need you to stay here and help protect Mainframe." Bob sighed, trying to keep his annoyance in check. He was already stressed enough with Dot gone and the upcoming trip. Hex had been bugging him for the past two hours to let her go with them to the Super Computer, but he had been adamant about her remaining in Mainframe.  
"Please? Pretty please with a strawberry energy shake on top?" the ex-virus begged, making puppy dog eyes at him.  
"Hex, no!" Bob lowered his tone when Hex's eyes turned red. "Look, if you stay here in Mainframe and help take care of the system, I'll get you your very own energy shake machine. That way you can have as many as you want," he said in what he hoped was a sweet tone.  
"Really?!" she asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up.  
"Yeah, I promise."  
"Goody! Have a nice trip, Bob, and you had better come back to keep your promise!" In a flash of white light, she was gone and Bob was left alone.  
"That is one strange lady," he marveled to himself.   
Bob checked his internal clock. He had been getting ready for the past six hours. Now it was time to get some downtime, but with the recent events, he didn't think that was possible. Still, he had to try. He made his way to his room.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"Hey, Lover." AndrAIa said, walking into the armory.  
Matrix turned to look at her. "Hey, Andri."  
"What are you doing?"  
He sighed. "Just double checking the weapon supply. I don't want to leave the system defenseless in case anything happens while we're gone. We're only talking a few weapons with us besides our own just in case."  
"Sounds good to me," she replied looking over the weapons he'd chosen to take with them. After a minute she spoke again. "She'll be ok, Sparky."  
Matrix smiled slightly. She knew him so well. "I can only hope so, AndrAIa. After so long I finally got my sister back only to have her taken away from me again."  
"Enzo, we'll get her back. We'll bring Dot home. You know we will." The game sprite walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. "We didn't come this far to get home to Dot and the others just to have it ruined now. It won't end this way." She looked up at him. "We will get her back."  
Matrix didn't reply. He only looked into her aquamarine eyes for a moment, then leaned down and kissed her gently. After a few more seconds, they pulled away and he smiled at her, albeit a little sadly. "I love you, AndrAIa."  
"I love you, too," she smiled back and took his hand. "Come on, let's get some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow."  
Matrix followed her out of the armory and the two lovers walked hand in hand back to their room.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"Ah really don't like this. This is random." Mouse complained as she paced the cockpit of Ship.  
"I think it's a good plan, luv. It'll work, you just have to have faith that it will." Ray said. The surf engine was leaning against Baud, which was standing upright by the wall.  
"Yeah, it's a good plan, I know, but it's way too risky."  
"Bob's a big guardian, he can take care of himself. And Matrix...well, I don't need to say much about him now do I?"  
"Ah know, sugah, I just don't like it."  
"So you've said. But do you really think we can't pull it off?"  
Mouse stopped her pacing and faced him. "Ah never said that we couldn't pull it off, ah know we can. It's just too risky, that's all." She resumed her pacing.  
"You're actin' just like Dot when she's nervous about something." Ray instantly regretted his words when Mouse stopped her pacing yet again and looked at him. In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, her burgundy eyes actually filled with tears, but she wouldn't let them fall. "I'm sorry, luv, I didn't mean..."  
"No, ah'll be fine," she interrupted, swiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "She's comin' home. That's all there is to it. Ah don't care what has to be done, she's comin' home." That familiar fire sparked determinedly in her eyes.  
"Of course she is, Lovely Lady. I'll do anything I can to help." He walked toward her and took her in his arms.  
"How did ah know you were gonna say that?" she asked him with a slight smile.  
"Hacker's intuition?"   
Mouse laughed a little at this. "Yeah, that's gotta be it." There was a small pause, then she looked up at Ray. "Thank you, sugah."  
"Anytime, luv." Mouse pulled his head down and she kissed him trying to express her gratitude for his support. After a few minutes of this, they parted breathlessly. "Whoa. No wonder you got the record for longest kiss."  
"Did you ever have any doubt?" Mouse asked, giving him a sly wink.  
"Not a doubt in the Net," he grinned in return.  
"Good, cause if you behave yourself, ah just might show you how ah got my other record." She turned and walked toward the door to the armory.  
Ray raised an eyebrow. "Other record? What other record?"  
"You'll just have to find out now won't you, sugah?" she sauntered out the door.  
"Well, a search engine's gotta do what a search engine's gotta do." With a big grin on his face, Ray Tracer followed Mouse out of the room.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
Lucy shifted nervously in her chair. How long was she going to be out? Do- er...Valkyrie had been unconscious for nearly six hours with no sign of waking yet. Mistress Daemon was getting very agitated. The super virus had vid windowed eight times in the last two hours, each time getting angrier than before. Well, it wasn't like Lucy could just set off an alarm clock and wake her up. She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and looked at the woman on the bed.  
Should she try and wake her up? Or should she just wait until Valkyrie decided to come back to the land of the living? There was no telling when that would be. Lucy could be here all night. She did have chores that needed to be done, but she couldn't do them if she was sitting in here idly waiting for this woman to wake up.  
Valkyrie was laying on her side, her chest rising evenly with each breath she took and Lucy couldn't help but be afraid of what would happened when she finally did regain consciousness. If she assumed correctly, Valkyrie would be molded into Daemon's image, a destroyer of those who rejected the ways of her mistress.  
User only knew what would happen when Valkyrie did wake up. Lucy felt a sense of impending doom creep up on her. It was worse than what she had felt just before her infection. Things would surely get worse now that the heir had been chosen.  
A moan from the bed startled her and she jumped slightly. Lucy looked at Valkyrie as she opened her eyes. Still the same violet color from before, but now, they were cold and cruel. Surely those eyes didn't belong to the woman Valkyrie had been before her altering. The purple infection veins pulsed on her temples and she focused those eyes on Lucy's raspberry red ones.  
Valkyrie sat up in the bed, her eyes never straying from Lucy's. She seemed to be sizing Lucy up. After a few more minutes of total silence, Valkyrie stood from the bed, towering over Lucy, who was still sitting in her chair. "Take me to my mistress," she said in a deadly voice, her eyes narrowing at the sprite.  
Lucy stood quickly. "Right away."  
She hurriedly led Valkyrie to Daemon's private chambers. The doors of the virus's chambers were strikingly similar to the doors of the throne room, but were engraved with various symbols such as viral bugs and symbols. She knocked on one of the two doors. The door opened silently and Lucy moved aside to let Valkyrie enter. After the new virus was in, the door slammed in Lucy's face, leaving her alone, and slightly miffed in the hall.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"Ah, I see you have awakened, my Valkyrie." Daemon said from the shadows.  
"Yes, Mistress, I am ready to serve you." Valkyrie said with a bow.  
"Excellent. Then let us begin."  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
End of Chapter six  
  
Yet another cliffie, I know. Sorry, but this is as far as I'm going with this one. Please don't flame me if you're a big Dot fan and you don't want her to be Daemon's lackey. I'm a major Dot fan too if you haven't noticed already and I won't let anything too bad happen to her without a happy ending. Violates the classic cliche I know, but hey, I love happy endings and I'm sure most of you do too. I don't know quite how this is going to end yet, but we'll soon see now won't we? ;) Keep your eyes peeled for Chapter seven. Could be out any day now. As always, ten reviews please before I post the next chapter. The M/A scene is for DM and Tammy. Hope I did good on it. I've never written one of those before. Hope you guys like it!  
  
Now, on to the thanks! Yay! I get a bigger thank you section now! Ok, here we go:  
  
sTePh: Don't worry, Dot'll be just fine. ;)  
  
Lucy: I'm glad you liked it! I must admit I do like your entrance too. I think I got her in character. What do you say? :)  
  
Dragonmaster: hehehe...thanks for the review, DM. I'll talk to you soon ok?  
  
XiaNA fAiRy PriNceSs: I'm glad you like it so much. And you're welcome for the dedication. You and sTePh deserved it! ;)  
  
SilverTig: Surprise! hehehe... I was trying to go for something different. Guess I succeeded. LOL Thanks for the review!  
  
GreenArt44: Excited are we? hehe...I'm glad you liked it! Except, when you review again, could you please leave out the fruit? ;) Don't worry, justice will be served and thank you for the compliment. ;)  
  
Sirinial: Yeah, irony's the best isn't it? Sorry for killing Meggy. You'll forgive me won't you? ;)  
  
Raeone Dragon: Well, I'm honored you liked it enough to beg, but you really don't have to. ;) As long as I get reviews, I'll keep posting. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)   
  
nodoubt13: Brilliant huh? Cool. I was just trying to go for something different. Thanks!  
  
RA: Well, the rest is posted obviously. LOL ;) Enjoy the M/A scene. :)  
  
Until next chapter!!  



	7. Heiress to the Viral Line

Finally, I get another chapter posted. Yikes that took me a while. Sorry folks, I've been really busy with school. Can you ever forgive me? *puppy dog eyes* Anyway, here it is, hope you enjoy it. Sorry it's a little on the short side, but I'll post the next chapter soon. Happy reading!!  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
The silence drifted through the chamber as Daemon sat contemplating her next move. She already had Valkyrie, now all she needed was to make sure she didn't lose her. Valkyrie would play a key role in her plans for total net domination. It was only a matter of time before it was all hers. The thought brought a twisted smile to her face. Daemon would have it all and Valkyrie would take over one day, ruling the net and continuing the viral line.  
  
Those idiotic guardians actually thought they could stop her. So much for the 'defenders of the Net'. Now only two stood in her way. The others belonged to her. Mind, body, and even soul. It was all hers. Except for Mainframe. That one small system was all that remained. System Alpha had been corrupted even before she'd sent the message to Mainframe. The fake information on System Alpha was merely to give the people of Mainframe false hope. 'How truly sadistic I am,' she thought ruefully, the smile still in place. Oh how the thought of the binomes and sprites getting that look of complete horror as her viral forces conquered the system pleased her.  
  
Death or slavery...the ultimate choice in the end. Valkyrie would fulfill her role as Daemon's successor and prove to them that she was the Chosen One. She would make them fear the name of Daemon and all who were her followers. Fear could drive a sprite to do strange things indeed and that was what Daemon was counting on. If the sprites and binomes had enough fear, they would submit to her will easily. All it would take is a little...convincing. Maybe even a few demonstrations of what happened to those who chose to go against her. That would be excellent. To hear those tortured screams of agony...to listen as the poor souls begged to delete...that was the main thrill of it all.  
  
The sounds of tortured screams brought out a feeling in her she just couldn't describe. The only word that came to mind was complete and total elation. Needless to say, Daemon had been in very pleasant spirits lately. Now was the time when it would all be final.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"You have to bring her back, Bob, please." Little Enzo had tears in his eyes as he begged his hero, "She said she wouldn't go away. Please bring her back."  
  
"I will, Enzo, I promise," the guardian replied gently, hoping to ease the little sprite's mind.  
  
"Thanks, Bob." A few tears fell from his purple eyes. Eyes that were so much like his sister's it made Bob's heart ache.  
  
He pulled the boy into a comforting hug, praying that he would succeed in bringing Dot home.   
  
Enzo pulled back and settled under the covers of his bed, some stray tears still falling.  
  
Bob smiled down at him and said, "Try to get some sleep, pal. I'll see you in the morning before we leave ok?" as he gently wiped the boy's tears away.  
  
"Ok, Bob." Enzo returned the smile slightly and closed his eyes.  
  
Bob stood from the side of the bed and walked out of the bedroom, turning the lights off.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
"All right, here's what's gonna happen: AndrAIa and Ray, you two take care of the guardians at the entrance. AndrAIa, have those nails ready. Matrix, use that eye of yours to check the area in case there might be trouble coming. Mouse, you're with me, we'll infiltrate the main room. Everyone clear on their jobs?"  
  
"We're with ya, sugah." Mouse answered when Bob finished running through the plan.  
  
The day had arrived. It was all or nothing. The group would travel to the Supercomputer to save Dot and get rid of Daemon. The tension was mounting as the sprites stood in the War Room about to leave on what seemed to the binomes around them a suicide mission.   
  
"Good, then let's do it." Matrix pulled Gun out and his cybernetic eye glowed red, showing his anger.  
  
Little Enzo and Phong came up to the group.  
  
"May the User be with you, my children," the old sprite said, giving them all a wise smile that, despite everything, eased the group's tension a little.  
  
Enzo came up and hugged Bob, resting his head on the older sprite's shoulder for a moment. "Don't forget, you promised."  
  
Bob smiled and returned the boy's hug. "I won't, Enzo. I'll bring Dot home."  
  
Enzo pulled away and shyly went up to Matrix. "Good luck, Matrix. Come back soon so we can go hang out at the park, ok?"  
  
Matrix, to the surprise of everyone present, leaned down and briefly hugged the boy. "You got it, kid."  
  
After all the goodbyes were said, Bob signaled to Matrix who used Gun to change an empty crate into a tear. Bob closed his eyes, gathering his power in his hands. He released the energy, shooting it toward the tear and formed a portal to the Supercomputer. With one final look at the people gathered around them, the sprites stepped through the portal to face their destiny.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
The infected guardians formed a huge crowd in what used to be the reception room of the Principle Office. It was rumored that their mistress had succeeded in one of her goals. The guardians all assumed that the two rogue guardians had been captured at last and that their mistress would finally be free to choose an heir. The glory of Daemon would survive through the ages, that was all that mattered, but they were curious as to what their mistress was going to announce.  
  
Turbo stood on the platform at the front of the room feeling incredibly nervous. He had a bad feeling that things were about to get a lot worse than they already were. Daemon had chosen an heir and no doubt she would use them to take over Mainframe then carry on the viral line.   
  
He felt a pang of guilt because he hadn't been able to notify Bob of what was going on. Daemon had charged him with the duty of preparing everything for her announcement and every time he tried to get away someone would interrupt saying he was needed to complete another task or make adjustments. His only choice was to wait until after things were finished here, then hurry to tell Bob about the heir.  
  
A hush fell over the crowd as Daemon came onto the platform to stand before her guardians. Almost as one, they bowed before her then looked up at her, waiting to hear the news.  
  
"My loyal subjects, today is a day we all will never forget. Today is the day that begins a new era. Virals will rule the net from this day on and any who challenge that rule will suffer for I have chosen my heir. The Chosen One is among you at last. Rejoice in the knowledge that your mistress will live on through her descendants and viruses shall forever be in control of all life in the net." A cheer from all the guardians rose through the hall, but was ended when Daemon raised her hand for silence. "I give you my Chosen One, Valkyrie."  
  
There was a brief flash of light and cloaked figure suddenly appeared next to Daemon. As two green hands came up to pull the hood back, Turbo suddenly went pale. 'It can't be...' was his only thought as Dot Matrix's face appeared, purple veins pulsing at her temples. She was dressed in black armor similar to the armor she used to wear with a purple tint and a flowing black cloak. The guardians cheered and the excitement distracted them from seeing two dark figures sneak into the room.  
  
Valkyrie turned to regard Turbo and he knew: Dot Matrix was gone forever. This monster had taken over. The eyes that bore into his were not the friendly ones of the woman he knew. These were cold and cruel. 'Sweet User, what'll ah tell Bob?'  
  
What Turbo didn't realize was that he didn't need to tell Bob...he already knew.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
Upon arriving in the Supercomputer the group had heard of Daemon's upcoming announcement so they hurried to get inside and carry out their plans. The cheers rose from the guardians in the room as Bob and Mouse quietly snuck into the reception hall, both covered in dark cloaks with the hoods covering their faces so they wouldn't be seen. They found a place in one of the back corners and waited for their chance. The guards had easily been taken care of courtesy of AndrAIa's spines and Ray's surfbaud. Matrix was waiting up in the rafters of the ceiling, scanning for possible trouble. The renegade had found an entrance through one of the vents and crawled through until he reached an open shaft leading all the way up to the ceiling.  
  
Bob turned to Mouse after receiving confirmation from Matrix that so far they were relatively safe. 'As safe as we can be in a roomful of infected guardians,' he thought. "We need to find Dot and get her out of here, then we go after Daemon."  
  
Mouse responded with her trademark wink.  
  
Both focused on the platform as the cheers stopped and Daemon spoke again. "I give you my Chosen One, Valkyrie."  
  
Mouse's eyes widened and she looked at Bob, whispering fiercely. "She's chosen an heir?!"  
  
Bob's eyes remained on the platform and he felt his energy run cold.   
  
Mouse noticed the look of fear on her friends face and looked back at the platform. Her mouth dropped open and she knew why Bob was afraid. The familiar green face, the greenish black hair...the purple veins.  
  
Dot was Valkyrie.  
  
~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~ ~(V)~  
  
End of Chapter Seven  
  
  
Welllll?? What did you think? It'll get better in the upcoming chapters, I promise. I just have to sit down and write them. Anyway, onto the Thank You section!  
  
tracy: thanks a lot!!  
  
Jaelawyn Noble: sorry about the cliffie, hope it was worth the wait for you.  
  
Dragonmaster: Always a pleasure to write a scene for a friend. ;)  
  
XiaNA fAiRy PriNceSs: I just write the chapters until I can't really write anymore. Look at it this way, more chapters, more to look forward to.  
  
sTePh: Don't worry, I got more than ten reviews. That happens when you've been as lazy as I have when it comes to updating this story.  
  
GreenArt44: Once again, you flatter me way too much but I do greatly appreciate it. :)  
  
*Eternal Star: k, it was the cutezy pleading look that got me. Thanks for the review.  
  
Lucy Server: Great, I'm glad she was in character. I was really worried about that.  
  
focusly: Thanks a lot. I totally agree with you on the whole bait for Bob/Matrix part, that really gets on my nerves sometimes.  
  
maggie: As always, thank you. ;)  
  
Raven: Here's more for ya obviously. Hope you like it.  
  
Dot^.^: Thanks for your enthusiasm, I really enjoy hearing it from people.  
  
Alina: Sorry about the cliffhanger. When can I get that strawberry shake? :)  
  
pandaporinces22: Thanks a lot, I'm glad you like it so far.  
  
*whew* that took forever. Much better. As always, ten reviews please before I post the next chapter and again, I apologize profusely for taking so long with this one. You guys know how it is when school and life in general get in the way of things. Thanks for reading. :) 


	8. The Mission

A/N: Yeah, been forever and a day since I updated this one, I know. Hopefully there are still some interested in it. Kind of short, unfortunately but at least it's something. Hope you enjoy it. Feedback is always welcome.  
  
The Ties That Bind Chapter 8: The Mission  
  
"That viral bitch!" Matrix roared as he watched his sister standing next to Daemon on the platform. Luckily the cheers from the infected guardians below drowned out his angry words. A fury the likes of which he'd never known despite everything he'd been through came over him and his mind echoed the same thought like a mantra: 'Kill Daemon.'  
  
He raised Gun and took aim right at Daemon's head. Without thinking of the outcome, he fired. The bullet shot across the room right on target startling all those present in the room. Just before it reached the super virus, it hit a forcefield. Matrix swore and ducked into the ventilation duct on his right before the guardians came after him. He'd get the virus, he promised silently, both to himself and to Dot.  
  
Chaos ruled over the room as the infected guardians raced to find the assassin. Bob and Mouse ducked into the corridor, racing down the hall and hiding in the nearest empty room. After several tense minutes, all was quiet and they turned to each other.  
  
"Her heir?! What in the Net is goin' on, Bob?" Mouse's eyes were wide with shock as she stared at him.  
  
Bob sighed, trying to calm the fear he felt creeping through him at the sight of 'Valkyrie.' "I'm not sure, Mouse, but from the looks of it, Daemon's managed to convert Dot into a super virus."  
  
"But...I didn't think it was possible to do that. I thought you were compiled a sprite and that was it. End program."  
  
He closed his eyes and unwillingly the image of Dot with purple veins pulsing on her temples clouded his mind. "Neither did I, Mouse. Neither did I..."  
  
After things had calmed down, Daemon retired to her throne room, bringing Valkyrie with her. She was not at all surprised someone tried to delete her. In fact, she'd come to expect that it would happen eventually. There were still fools out there who believed that she should not rule the Net. Ah well, it would all be dealt with in time.  
  
Valkyrie stood before her, awaiting her mistress's orders. Mustn't keep her heir waiting then.  
  
"Valkyrie, I have a task for you." She seated herself on her throne, staring into those cold violet eyes. Looking into them she knew that she had only to ask and whatever she bid, Valkyrie would do.  
  
"Yes, my lady?"  
  
"Find the idiot that tried to delete me. Whomever it is should still be nearby. I'm sure you'll have no trouble locating them. Find them and bring them to me...alive." Daemon was displeased at the 'alive' part, but that just meant she could have more fun later on with her almost-killer. Oh she hoped it was one of the two guardians she was searching for!  
  
Valkyrie bowed low and turned to depart, her cape flowing behind her as she walked. She too disliked the fact that she had to keep whomever it was alive. Surely her mistress would allow her to destory the rogue assassin once she was finished with them? She could only wish that Daemon would be so generous. The one who tried to delete Daemon should not be allowed to continue processing by any means and Valkyrie wanted to be the one to make sure they didn't...  
  
End of Chapter 8 


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